Russian Tea Cakes Recipe: Ultra-Buttery, Melt-in-Your-Mouth Spheres

Instructions:

1. Toast pecans in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3–5 minutes until fragrant. Pulse in a food processor until finely minced but not a paste.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream the softened butter and 0.5 cup of powdered sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Stir in the vanilla extract.
3. Gradually add the flour and salt to the butter mixture on low speed, mixing just until a stiff dough forms.
4. Manually fold in the finely chopped pecans until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
5. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to prevent spreading and maintain the snowball shape.
6. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Roll rounded tablespoons of dough into 1-inch balls and place 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10–12 minutes until bottoms are barely golden.
7. Let cookies cool for 3–5 minutes. While still warm, roll each cookie in the 1.5 cups of powdered sugar.
8. Allow cookies to cool completely on a wire rack, then roll them in powdered sugar a second time for a thick white finish.